Suspenders or braces



' J. F. MILES. SUSPENDERS 0R BRAGES.

Patented May 24, 1887,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB F. MILES, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SUSPENDERS OR BRACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.363,532, dated May 24,1887.

Application filed November 30, 1886. Serial No. 220,232. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JACOB F. MILES, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Suspenders orBraces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a well-known class of contrivances which, whenworn by men, are known as suspenders, gallowses, or braces, and employedto support kneebreeches, trousers, drawers, or pantaloons, and which,when worn by women, are known as "skirt-supporters, and employed tosupport petticoats and the skirts of frocks or dresses.

My improvement-s relate to that class of suspenders or skirtsupportersin which attachment is made to the waistband of the garment to besupported both at the front and back thereof, the straps orwebs ofmaterial constituting thesuspenders or supporters proper passing overthe shoulders of the wearer and being connected directly or indirectlywith said waistband.

The obj eet of my improvement is a construction of suspenders in whichperfect freedom of movement is secured to the wearer, it being possibleto bend the body in anydirection, and to raise, lower, or throw forwardor back the shoulders without oecasioning any binding of the body by thesuspenders or any part of them.

The foregoing objects I secure by a construction a good form ofaconvenient embodiment of which is represented in the accompanyingdrawings and described in this specification, the particularsubjectmatter claimed as novel being hereinafter definitel y specified.

Suspenders-and by this term I include skirt-supporters-as a general ruleconsist of two independent straps which pass, respectively, over theshoulders of the wearer, and are termed the "shoulder-straps, and whichare secured, either directly or indirectly, to the waistband of thegarment to be supported, both at the front and at the back thereof,there being usually two points of attachment at the back and four in thefront.

I make my shoulder-straps of a single continuous flat web, strip, orstrap of canvas, webbing, ribbon, tape, leather, kid, i or any otherpreferred elastic or inelastic material of suitable breadth, which Idouble back or fold upon itself into a flat fold near its centralportion and at the back near its point of attachment to the back tabs orband-straps of the suspenders, passing the said continuous web at itsfold through an eye or keeper, to which, directly or indirectly, aresecured the backband straps, and protecting the said flat folded web,which above said fold passes up over the shoulders of the wearer as theshoulder-straps, by a guard, which retains each member, so to speak, ofthe folded web independent of the other and prevents any possibledisplacement, all substantially in the manner represented in theaccompanying drawings and herein described.

In the .drawings, Figure l is a rear elevational view of so much of apair of suspenders embodying my invention as is necessary to illustratemy improvements. Fig. 2 is a central vertical side sectional elevationthrough the suspenders of Fig. 1, section being supposed in the plane ofthe dottedline ac :0 upon said figure, and sight being taken in thedirection of the arrows upon said line. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig.1, showing a pair of suspenders which differ only from those of Fig. 1in the modeof attachment of the back band straps. Fig. 4 is a centralvertical side sectional elevation through the suspenders represented inFig.3, in the plane of the dotted line 3 y upon said figure, and sightbeing taken in the direction of the arrows upon said line.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to the first two figures of the drawings, A A are theshoulderstraps, being members of a single continuous web, band, or strapof any preferred material, folded upon itself at or near its centralportion to form the flat fold A for the purpose of the formation ofwhich fold the web forming the shoulderstraps is passed through anelongated loop of metal orother preferred rigid matcrial,which I termthe keeper, B.

C O are the back-baud straps, the same being cords, webs, or straps, ofany preferred material, firmly secured to the keeper B below the line ofattachment of the shoulderstraps made movable with respect to asupplemental and independent thereof. One of these backband straps isshown provided with abuttonhole, 0, for attachment to a button of awaistband, while the other is shown provided with asafety-pin, 0*, tobepinned through the waistband.

D is aguard, preferably formed of leather or other suitable material,which, being double, incloses or enfolds theilat fold of theshoulderstraps, and which is provided with two preferably independentand unconnected threats or openings, d a, through which the respectiveshoulder straps freely pass. The guard is shown secured to the back-bandstraps by a rivet, d, or othersuitable fastening, the point ofattachment being below the keeper.

6, Fig. 2, is a friction roll or cylind er,applied to the keeper tofacilitate the travel of the folded web Apabout the keeper.

In the construction represented in Figs. 3 and at my improvements, asabove described, are shown in connection with back-band straps keeper,E, either formed as a part of the keeper B or else connectedconveniently by a uniting-web, F, with said keeper B, through which theshoulder-strap A is looped and free to travel. The back-band straps inthis construction are shown as double, although of course they may besingle.

Such being a construction of a good form of suspenders embodying myimprovements, it is obvious that the essential features of the saidimprovements are the provision of a continuous web forming theshoulder-straps, which is folded through akeeper,eyc,orloop connectedwith the back-band straps in a flat fold, which fold, while alwaysformed of the web itself, is yet in the movement of the wearers bodyformed in or of different parts ofsaid web, the fold proper alwaysforming itself over the keeper,and the further provision,in connectionwith such flat fold over the keeper,of a guard to preserve the fold andprevent the twisting of the web in the region ofsaid fold. The form andconstruction of the keeper are not important, it being well made when ofa cont-inuous loop of metal. The form of the guard also is immaterial,that form which is represented in the drawings being a good one. It isimportan t, however, that the guard should extend at its sides asufficient distance above the keeper to insure the maintenance of theflat fold about said keeper.

It is not vital that the guard should be provided with independentthreats, as it is operative with the threats formed as a single continuous throat extending from side to side of the guard. The mode ofattachment of the guard is also n'ianifestly inconsequential, it be ingpossible to form it as apart of the keeper, or to apply it thereto, orto apply it either to the back-band straps or to a uniting web, asshown.

The shoulder-straps may in front be each provided with a single or withdouble bandstraps equipped with either button holes, safety-pins, orother devices for attachment; or they may themselves be directlyprovided with button-holes, safety-pins, or other devices for attachmentdirect to the waistband.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a pair of suspenders,shoulder-straps formed of a continuous web or strap folded upon itselfat the back in a flat running fold, a keeper about which the web formingthe shoulder-straps is folded and runs, which is secured to back-bandstraps or kindred eontrivances for connecting it with the garment to besupported, and a guard adapted toinclose the web of the shoulder-strapsin the region of its fold in order to maintain said fold, substantiallyas and for the purposes specified.

2. The combination, to form suspenders or skirt-supporters, ofshoulder-straps formed of a continuous web or strap folded at or nearitscentral portion in a flat fold adapted to run through a keeper, a keeperconnected with back-band straps, a guard to maintain the flat fold inthe shoulder-straps,and back-band straps, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto signed my name this 29th day ofNovember, A. D. 1886.

JACOB F. MILES.

